Kennebunk Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a quiet stretch for Kennebunk Beach. The forecast is a real humdinger for flat spells, and there’s nothing in the 16-day window that’s gonna get the heart racing. We’ve got a long gap of days with basically no surf on offer, so let’s wade through the quiet.

The water is sitting at 59° on the 21st, which is a full 5° colder than it should be for late July. That’s a notable chill, so you’ll want a good spring suit, even in the middle of summer.

The pattern is all small, short-period windswell from the SSE and SE, with wave heights struggling to get past 3 feet for most of the run. The combined swell energy is weak, mostly below 100 (29 on the 21st morning, 108 on the 21st afternoon, 177 on the 22nd morning, 387 on the 22nd afternoon, 153 on the 23rd morning, 112 on the 23rd afternoon, and so on). The period is a pathetic 4-8 seconds, so you’re looking at gutless, crumbly waves with no push. The wind is almost always cross-on or cross, keeping things choppy and messy.

Tuesday 21st July kicks off with cloudy skies and a cross-on S wind at 12 mph, with a tiny 3 ft SSE swell. The afternoon gets a bit more energy with a 5 ft SSE swell (108 combined energy), but the wind picks up to 16 mph, making it choppy and poor. The wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.”

Wednesday 22nd July morning has a 5 ft SSE swell (177 combined energy) and a brief window of offshore SW wind at 9 mph, but the wave comment is still “poor surf conditions.” The afternoon sees the swell jump to 6 ft (387 combined energy), but it’s cross-on with rain showers and a WSW wind. That’s too big for beginners and the period is still short (7 seconds), so it’s a messy, lumpy mess.

Thursday 23rd July morning has a clean 3 ft SSE swell (153 combined energy) with a cross NW wind at 9 mph, giving slight cross-chop. Still, the wave comment is “poor surf conditions.” The afternoon drops to 3 ft (112 combined energy).

Friday 24th July through Sunday 27th July sees a consistent run of 2 ft to 3 ft SE swell, with periods of 7-8 seconds and combined energy mostly below 100. The best of this is Saturday 25th July and Sunday 26th July mornings, when a light ESE breeze at 6 mph gives a clean, cross-off wind. The wave comment says “clean.” But the swell is tiny, so it’s a longboard or foiling session at best. The afternoon of Saturday has a 3 ft SE swell (64 combined energy) and stays clean, but it’s still small.

Monday 27th July through Thursday 30th July is a mix of weak SSE and SE swell, all under 3 ft, with cross-on winds and choppy conditions. The wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.”

Friday 31st July to Sunday 2nd August is more of the same – small, short-period junk. The only highlight is Saturday 1st August morning, when a glassy E wind at 3 mph arrives with a 3 ft SE swell (91 combined energy). The wave comment says “glassy,” so it’s a rare clean moment, but the swell is still tiny.

Monday 3rd August morning is the one small standout. The wind is glassy from the SE at 3 mph, with a 3 ft SE swell (137 combined energy). The wave comment finally says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we’ve got in the whole 16 days, but it’s hardly a standout. The period is still a short 7 seconds, so it’s going to be fat and slow.

After that, Tuesday 4th August and Wednesday 5th August drop back to tiny 2 ft to 2 ft swell with cross-on winds.

So, the honest truth: there’s no real surf on offer here. The best you’ll find is a small, glassy log-session on the 3rd of August. The rest is a long, quiet stretch of windswell and chop. If you’re desperate, you might scratch out a few knee-high runners on the clean mornings, but don’t expect anything to write home about. For the rest of the time, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially on the windier days.

Stay patient, and check back in a few days – forecasts can change.
Rusty.

Read more